Do you ever get stuck in a cooking rut? Using the same recipes, same cooking methods?
For a long time, grilling was my cooking method of choice when it came to chicken. Or possibly even oven baking. But then I discovered poaching, and boy has it been a game changer. The meat is tender, there are no messy grills to clean, and there is usually enough leftover for sandwiches through the week.
It is also a great option to add to salads.
Sometimes I poach the chicken in stock, other times water – with a bunch of herbs, ginger and garlic.
On this occasion, I poached the chicken in stock with a little miso paste. I then shredded the chicken and used it to create a Japanese-inspired miso chicken salad. With wombok, cucumber and radish for crunch, drizzled with a miso / mirin / soy dressing, and finished with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
We served this for dinner a little while back, and I’ve also had it for lunch on multiple occasions since then. I love that it can be thrown together easily, with minimal fuss, and that it is a little different than my regular salad styles.
Definitely a winner in my book…and a great reminder to get out of my comfort zone in the kitchen!
| Servings |
servings
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- 500 ml chicken stock
- 1 tbs white miso paste
- 2 chicken breasts
- 2 cups shredded wombok
- 6 radishes thinly sliced
- 1 cucumber sliced
- sesame seeds to serve
- 1 tsp white miso paste
- 1 tbs mirin
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Ingredients
Dressing
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- Place stock and miso paste in a small saucepan. Add the chicken (adding some additional water if necessary to cover). Bring to the boil over a medium heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, then cover and set aside in the poaching liquid. Allow to cool a little, then shred.
- Meanwhile, divide the salad ingredients amont two serving bowls. Top with shredded chicken.
- To make the dressing, whisk together the miso, mirin, soy and sesame in a small bowl. Drizzle over salad, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
If your calendar is anything like ours, we are pretty booked up between now and Christmas. Our weekdays are filled with school, ballet classes, swim lessons, and gymnastics classes – oh and work, of course. While our weekends are filled with lots of dinners, parties, festivities and fun. Yes the silly season has arrived – bringing with it lots of good times and, inevitably, an abundance of good food!
The salad itself, was rather simple – just crunchy cos lettuce, cucumbers and sliced radishes – surrounded by some pappadums that I had cooked in the microwave. But the real star of the show was the mango chutney dressing – made with mango chutney (of course), mayonnaise, lime, olive oil and ginger. Blended to perfection – and serving as not only a salad dressing – but a tasty little dip for the pappadums too.
Indian-inspired, and rather refreshing after a weekend of great food!
In what I suspect will be a regular feature this Summer, I couldn’t help but put a cocktail on the menu when we had friends around for a BBQ recently. And while I was tempted to serve another 
I can’t remember when I first tried Pimm’s, although I have a feeling it was when we travelled to London. Given that Pimm’s is a rather iconic English drink, well it wouldn’t surprise me at all.
